Seeing Red
by ShadowOfApate
Summary: B/W/T. What if Willow embraced a talent that saved Tara's life?


Title: Seeing Red

Chapter: One

Pairing: Willow/Tara, Willow/Buffy, Buffy/Willow/Tara

Rating: R

Timeline: Two seconds after Seeing Red

Spoilers: Only if you haven't seen it yet.

Beta Reader: Dark Gremlin

Summary: Willow's worst nightmare is forced to  
the front in her attempts to alter the future that  
she knows is ahead.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon,  
Mutant Enemy Productions, and Paramount Pictures.

---------

She brushed past the surprised, sleepy blonde as  
she opened the dorm room door. She had the vague  
sense that perhaps she should've taken the time  
to put on some sort of shoes, or maybe some clothes  
other than the grey and red sports shirt, but it  
was an emergency, and she just couldn't seem to  
get past the whole problem.

" What's wrong? "

" Do you remember that horrible nasty tea like  
stuff you made that time when Xander...? "

" I don't think I could ever forget. " Tara  
grimaced, trying to block the image of the  
construction worker with way to much alcohol in  
his system.

" I need you to make me some. "

" What? Why? "

Willow nervously looked away from her ex,  
hoping that maybe the dirty blonde wouldn't  
drill her too much on the subject. " There's  
some medicine in my system that I have to  
get out. "

" Did you...? "

" No. " Willow shook her head against the  
blondes concerned question. " The doctor has  
me on this medicine. "

" Then why don't you let it naturally...? "

" Tara, please. I have to get it out. Now. "

The blonde witch stared at her ex-lover  
trying to read the various emotions scurrying  
across her face. Fear, confusion, guilt, anger,  
they were so varied that for once she wasn't  
sure what to expect from the red head.

" Alright, let me get what I need, and we'll  
go to Buffy's. "

" Tara..."

" I'm not about to leave you alone while you  
take the potion, and I doubt that you want to  
stay here. "

" Yeah but..."

" No buts, now get a pair of my shoes to put  
on. "

Willow sighed tiredly as the dirty blonde  
began to systematically gather everything she  
could possibly need, including the bottle of  
potion she kept for emergencies. Now all she  
had to do was get a hold of it.

---------

Buffy glanced at the vcr clock, then spun  
on her bare foot to pace the other way. When  
she was at the end of the living room she  
glared worriedly at the front door, spun,  
and started to pace in the opposite directions.

' And repeat as needed. '

She swallowed back the urge to run out into  
the night in search of her best friend. All  
the horrible thoughts and scenarios were trying  
to drive her crazy.

What if Willow had relapsed and was with  
Rack, or maybe Spike had finally snapped and  
kidnapped her. O-or what if she was sleep  
walking and was attacked by vampires. Or  
what if...

" Where the hell have you been? " She  
snapped as the front door opened.

She paused at the sight of Tara, leading  
a messy haired red head still in her sleep  
shirt. " What happened? Are you okay? "

" Willow wanted some of my special  
potion. "

" And it couldn't wait until morning? "  
She asked suspiciously, focusing on her  
friends ex.

" She said it was an emergency. "

" So you decided to just give it to  
her? Don't you remember how sick that  
stuff made Xander? "

" I tried to talk her out of it, but  
you know how she is when she's determined. "

" I am not going to let her ingest that  
stuff. " Buffy firmly commented.

" Good. "

She nodded satisfied that Tara would  
back her up, then turned to...empty space.  
" Where's Willow? "

Tara turned around and stared at the  
spot where the red head had been just a  
few minutes earlier. Along with the bag  
containing the potion.

Before she could process the missing  
red head, the sounds of someone getting  
seriously sick filled the house, solving  
the mystery.

" Damn. " Buffy muttered, dashing up  
the stairs to the open bathroom door.

The red head was kneeling by the toilet  
making noises that told quite vividly what  
was happening with her.

" Hey, you okay? " She closed the distance  
between them, barely paying any attention  
to Tara as she sat beside the red head.

" What do you think? " Willow grumbled,  
then groaned loudly when another wave of  
nausea hit her.

" I told you not to take it. " Tara  
scolded gently, sitting on Willow's  
other side.

" Had to. "

" Why? "

" Oh..." She dived back over the commode  
and started to heave again.

Buffy settled back against the wall  
and rubbed the red heads tense back. " It's  
alright we can talk about it in the morning. "

Tara nodded in agreement, and smiled  
at the slayer, in silent thanks. They were  
going to be in for a long night.

---------

Tara ran her fingers through Willow's  
sweat soaked hair as she buried her head  
into the witch's thigh. It had been less  
than an hour since the ex-witch had stopped  
dry heaving, and the thin body was now  
shaking from burning the medicine from  
her system.

Pressed into her side Buffy was holding  
the rest of the curled up red head. She had  
noticed the tender look that the slayer had  
as she softly stroked Willow's leg's, and  
back.

" She's missed you. " Buffy whispered.

" I know. "

" She hasn't used magic in thirty five  
days. Well, there was that spell that Amy  
used on her, but that doesn't count, if  
anything that just proves how hard she's  
trying. "

" What spell? "

" It wasn't really a spell, she just sort  
of gave her all this energy that over flowing  
into anything Will touched. "

" She gave her a high. " Tara had been afraid  
of what Amy would do, since she doubted the red  
heads childhood friend, would simply leave her  
alone.

" Yeah. "

" She didn't use the magic? "

" No. "

" Good. " Tara slide her finger tips over  
the soft skin of Willow's cheek.

" No..." Willow whimpered, curling up  
tighter. " Buffy...Tara...Please, not them.  
Please. Don't... TARA!! "

" It's alright sweetie, we're right here.  
We're alright. No one's going to hurt us. "

" Warren...no...kill you..."

Willow rolled up into her self, sobbing,  
and convulsing violently as she scrambled  
out of their arms. " NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! "

Tara lunged after the red head, hugging  
her hard into her chest, while Buffy grabbed  
them from the other side. The convulsions  
worsened through the raspy scream of pain  
and fear, reminding her of living through  
the worst nightmare on the planet a thousand  
times over.

" What the hell did you give her? " Buffy  
growled, trying to keep a grip on Willow.

" Nothing. "

" Then what's happening to her?! "

" I..." Tara forcefully rolled the red  
head onto her back, and pried her eyes  
open. The gorgeous dark emerald eyes had  
dilated and were unseeing. " Oh god...  
She didn't tell me... I didn't know..."

" What?! "

" She's a seer. " Tara muttered, her  
eyes searching the bathroom, almost in  
a panic.

She quickly climbed to her feet,  
moving to the medicine cabinet. The  
various medicines, Tylenol, and first  
aid supplies were swept aside in her  
quest. Each prescription bottle was  
read and disregarded until she found  
the bottle with her ex-lover's name  
on it.

" Oh goddess. She was on anti-  
psychotic medicine. It was blocking  
the flashes. "

Buffy cradled the convulsing red  
head into her body, afraid of where  
Tara was going with her point. " And? "

" She's now catching up on every  
thing that was blocked. "

" She'll be alright though, right? "

" We should move her to the bed. "

" Tara? "

" I don't know. " Tara admitted.

---------

Chapter: Two

---------

" ...my Tara..."

Buffy felt her heartbreak with those simple words,  
spoken by the half unconscious red head, still struggling  
to work through all the visions that kept flooding  
her mind. It was horrible, listening to each and  
every moment of the scoobies lives played out in  
a few short hours. It was even worse hearing all  
the little secrets, and events that Willow hadn't  
included any of them in.

The worst part was having to relive the red  
heads realization that she was gay, and that she  
was in love with Tara. She loved the blonde  
witch, and thought of her as family, but the fact  
that the busty witch was the one to win Willow  
still stung.

The fact that she was currently missing her  
chance at her friend was even worse. She partially  
blamed Xander and his impeccable timing. After all,  
if the chubby construction worker hadn't interrupted  
their conversation the week before she would've  
told the red head.

She had been so close. She'd said the line that  
she'd rehearsed since the day she'd discovered her  
friend was gay. ' Once you fall for Willow, you  
stay fallen. '

That simple sentence had said so much, and yet,  
the chance had passed them by once again. Now,  
Tara was by Willow's side, despite their break up,  
and damn it, she wasn't supposed to be. They were  
comput. There was no more them. Willow had violated  
the witches mind in the worst way, and yet there she  
was.

" ...No...you can't have 'er...No...My Buffy...  
can't have 'er..."

Buffy leaned forward eagerly, suddenly finding it  
easy to forgive everything, and everyone. If only  
the red head would say...

"...mmmmm...Tara hand..."

' Not that. ' Buffy sat back once again and  
stared at the blonde that was going back and  
forth between love and deep thought. " Only  
because she's never experienced slayer hand. "

Tara glanced up with narrowed eyes, " What? "

" I didn't say anything. " Buffy cocked one  
eye brow at the blonde, just daring her to  
contradict her.

" Oh. " Tara started to smile slightly,  
sending chills down the slayers spine. " It's  
funny actually. "

' Don't respond, don't respond. Whatever  
happens, just don't respond. ' " What's funny? "

Tara chuckled dryly, " She had this fantasy's  
about having both of us as her lovers. "

" Oh. " Buffy forced herself to laugh. " Can  
you imagine it? The two of us sharing her. "

" Yeah, that would be hilarious. " Tara said  
through the strained laughter bordering on  
seriousness. " Having to share a bed. "

" The dates, and dances. "

" Cuddling. "

" The kisses. "

" The hugs. " Buffy swallowed hard.

There was no more laughter, or pretending  
to be joking. Only now they were faced with  
a serious proposition. Did they let Willow  
chose who she wanted to be with and risk  
losing her to the other? Or did they reach  
an agreement and share her?

" It would be funny. "

Buffy nodded. " Definitely interesting. "

" It would be a...unique experiment. "

" Yeah, it would. " Buffy agreed, silently  
telling Tara what her vote was.

" Tara!!! NOOO!!!! "

Buffy grabbed hold of the red head as she  
tried to leap off the bed. Absently stroking  
the trembling back muscles that were twitching  
in instinctive lunge. " Hey, it's okay. Tara's  
right here. See? "

The red head's eyes widened in horror at  
the sight of the blonde standing in front  
of the window. With a strength that shocked  
Buffy, Willow sprint the short distance,  
and tackled the witch to the floor.

" Stay away from the window. Don't go  
near the window. You can't go near the  
window. Promise me you'll stay away from the  
window. "

" Wh...what? "

" Promise me. No windows. Windows are bad. "

" I promise. No windows but... "

" No!! No, buts. There are no buts.  
Windows. Bad. Windows are very bad. Windows  
lead to death, and shootings, and...no buts. "

" Did you see something? " Buffy finally asked.

" Tara's going to be shot. Here. In front  
of that window. " Willow answered weakly.

" Who shot's her? "

" I- I don't know. " Willow frowned as her  
eyes turned inward. " There...you...You and  
Xander were in the backyard, apologizing for  
something, and me and Tara were getting  
dressed and then there was these gun shots  
and Tara had a...a...and there was blood, and  
you were too...and... I don't know. "

" It's alright. I'm sure that when you're  
ready you'll see it. "

Willow curled into Tara's arms, shaking  
and crying. Each tear brought a louder  
more guilt ridden shock that struck the  
slayer harder and harder until she found  
herself engulfing the two women in her arms.

" I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. " Willow  
whimpered. " It's all my fault, all of it's  
my fault. If I hadn't taken the medicine  
then... "

" It's not your fault. "

" I'm sorry. " Willow tightened her arms  
around them, unaware of anything that was  
being said to her. " I'm sorry. "

---------

The blonde body held in her arms let out  
a single slow breath and slumped down dead  
in her arms. Scrapping away the resistance  
she had to dark magic, and leaving only the  
deep seeded rage that had originally drawn  
D'Hoffand to her in the first place.

The blood was splattered generously over  
her shirt and face, coating her hands and  
part of her arms. Each drop gathering on  
her skin until all she wanted to do was  
run into the bathroom and rip her skin from  
her body.

Blood. It was a fascinating. The way the  
blood was blue while it was still in the  
body but the minute the air hit it, it  
turned such a dark red that it could almost  
be black.

Blood was the life that kept all creatures  
alive. It was what kept the body functioning.  
It was the source of pleasure for many serial  
killers and demons. Now, it was her own.

She wouldn't stop until she could smear  
Warren's blood over her hands and shirt in the  
same way that her lovers now coated her. Only  
then would she allow that bastard the satisfaction  
of dying. Only then would she grant him the  
release he would need in order to avoid the  
pain of the real world. Only then would she  
send him to the pain waiting for him in hell.

" WARREN!!!!!! "

" Willow!! "

She snapped her eyes open with a sharp  
gasp, the remains of the emotions and  
desperation of vision still fresh in her  
mind. Truthfully, she hadn't even realized  
what had happened. One minute she'd been  
crying and apologizing to Tara and Buffy,  
and then...

" ..Warren...It...It was Warren. "

She pulled away from the concerned embrace  
of the two blondes and struggled to her feet.  
She loved them both incredibly, but right at  
that moment, she needed to be alone so she  
could figure out the hundreds of emotions  
and instincts galloping through her.

She'd grown up with her mother convincing  
her that all the years of seeing dead people  
walking around her, and having visions of  
different times, were just hallucinations  
brought on by psychotic episodes. She'd  
even been forced onto medicine to block  
them.

It hadn't been until the night after Jess  
had been turned that she'd finally started  
to realize that they weren't something  
brought on by mental illness. It was real,  
more real than she cared to accept, but  
it didn't change the facts, and at that  
moment, the only fact was that she had to  
find someway to embrace her abilities.

" I...I need some air. "

" I'll come with you. " Buffy stated  
quickly.

" No, I'd rather... I need some time  
to myself. " She offered a gentle smile  
to the two blondes, than started to get  
dressed.

They meant well, but sometimes all the  
love and caring in the world couldn't  
work out problems.


End file.
